Voting sign at Rivers Edge Elementary School in Henrico County, Nov. 7, 2023. (Parker Michels-Boyce for the Virginia Mercury)
On Friday morning, a federal judge ruled in favor of plaintiffs challenging a Virginia program that has removed over 1,600 people from voter rolls since August, following an executive order by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. This means that people can be reinstated on voter rolls for the time being.
Over 1,600 people removed from voter rolls under Youngkin order; groups seek court injunction
The U.S. Department of Justice sued the state and Youngkin administration for allegedly removing voters too close to the 90-day “quiet period” before Election Day. Voter rights and immigrant advocacy groups filed a similar suit, alleging that people affected by the purges are those whose Department of Motor Vehicles paperwork doesn’t indicate they are U.S. citizens because some of them may have become citizens in the time since renewing or receiving their license, while others may have made a blunder on their paperwork.